


An eventful night

by strikedawn



Category: Tales of Zestiria
Genre: M/M, god knows i needed it, have some pining sorey for your soul
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-25
Updated: 2016-09-25
Packaged: 2018-08-17 06:31:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8133803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strikedawn/pseuds/strikedawn
Summary: “Can you please explain to me—“ Rose said over the phone, her tone strangely devoid of emotion. “—why is Mikleo here on a date with someone who isn’t you?”





	

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you guys like it! This story will be also posted over on my Tumblr, valerianights! Check it out for more sormik one shots!

Night was falling in Ladylake by the time Sorey admitted to himself that he was a complete and utter stupid.

He was sitting on Mikleo’s bed, legs curled under himself, when the realization hit him with the force of a train. There were clothes all around him, some as familiar to Sorey as his own, others so new that the tags were still hanging from the necks. They were clothes made of dark fabrics, well-cut and made to make the person wearing them look elegant, composed.

Mikleo was all of those things, but he had never needed clothes to show it.

But going back to the matter at hand, Sorey realized he was an idiot when Mikleo came out of the bathroom wearing the newest combination of clothes Sorey had come up with.

Because Mikleo looked… amazing. In a pair of tight, light pants, a blue button down and a dark jacket, Mikleo looked like something pulled out of a magazine. His hair was disheveled from trying all those clothes on, and he looked slightly annoyed, but still—

Still he—

_I want to put my hand on the small of his back and see if it covers it all_ . Sorey thought.

And then he tried to suffocate himself with Mikleo’s pillow right after because he was an idiot.

He was an idiot in love with his best friend.

“Does it look that bad?” Mikleo asked, gesturing to himself, taking Sorey’s groan beneath the pillow in the wrong way.

Sorey scrambled to drop the pillow, fighting to keep his eyes on Mikleo’s face. “No, no! It… You look. Good. Yeah. Good.”

“Really?” Mikleo walked to his full body mirror, twisting to look at himself as he moved his hands over his clothes, smoothing nonexistent wrinkles. Each time Mikleo moved to one side or another, Sorey’s heart skipped a beat, his hands clutching the poor pillow. Mikleo’s pants clung to his skin every time he turned around, following the —according to Sorey— perfect curve of his ass, tight against the lean muscle of his legs and pooling slightly at his lithe ankles, just over shiny, black shoes. “Isn’t it excessive?”

_Mikleo’s legs straddling Sorey’s lap, his new pants straining against his legs, his button down slightly open at the end, just to tease the sight of creamy skin underneath, skin that Sorey wants to touch, kiss, worship—_

“Maybe if you told me where you’re going—“ Sorey shook his head, pushing those kinds of thoughts away. “—I could help you decide.”

Mikleo threw a glare over his shoulder at Sorey, but the fact that his fringe covered his eyes partially took all of its heat. “I told you already I can’t.”

“You said you didn’t want to.” Sorey said with a pout. “That you didn’t want to jinx it.”

“And that’s exactly why I can’t tell you.” Crossing to the other side of the room, Mikleo went back into the bathroom to brush his hair, his voice bouncing off the tiles. “I want this to work out, I really do, but there’s a chance it won’t. I don’t want to go around talking about it, in case…”

At that, Sorey clutched the pillow closer to his chest. The smell of Mikleo’s shampoo clung to it, like always, and that only made Sorey’s throat close even more. “Not even to me?”

In the bathroom, Mikleo stopped his movements. Sorey didn’t see it —he was too busy keeping his eyes on his lap—, but he knew by the lack of sound coming from Mikleo’s direction.

This whole thing hurt. It hurt Sorey for so many reasons… Because Mikleo looked amazing and he couldn’t say it without sounding weird. Because he was within reach but Sorey couldn’t touch him, or he would never let him go.

Because Mikleo was keeping _secrets_ from him, something he had never done before.

The last one was what hurt Sorey the most. What was so important that Mikleo couldn’t tell him? Who was he meeting tonight that had Mikleo rendered to a little ball of anxiety that bounced around the room without a purpose?

Sorey hated not knowing.

Mikleo’s shoes suddenly appeared on Sorey’s field of vision. He snapped his head up, barely managing not to hit his nose on Mikleo’s chest, who had stepped so close in front of Sorey that Sorey had to move his head back even more to meet his gaze. Mikleo was bitting down on his bottom lip, and his left hand twitched slightly, as if it wanted to move.

Sorey’s hands twitched too.

“You know you’ll be the first person I’ll tell about this once it’s done.” Mikleo whispered, his breath moving some strands of Sorey’s fringe back.

A small smile appeared on Sorey’s lips. It was a small comfort, at least.

“Of course.” He said with a nod, letting Mikleo see his smile.

Mikleo smiled back. “I gotta go now, but I’ll see you later?” He said as he started to walk towards the door, his back to Sorey. “Though I don’t know at what time I’ll be back so maybe don’t wait up for me—“

“Mikleo, wait!”

Jumping from the bed with a single movement, Sorey made Mikleo stop right as he opened the door of the room. But he didn’t know why. He didn’t know why he had stopped Mikleo from leaving—well he knew, he didn’t want Mikleo to leave, after all, but he didn’t know _what_ to say to him to make Mikleo stay for a little while longer.

Sorey’s heart started doing weird things again inside his ribcage.

“Sorey?”

An idea popped up inside Sorey’s mind suddenly. Crossing the last inches that separated him from Mikleo, Sorey reached up to his own neck and unclasped the silver clasp of his necklace, letting the charm with the shepherd’s symbol hang in the air while he grabbed the ends of the chain. Sorey saw Mikleo’s eyes follow the charm’s pendular movement for a moment, and then rise up to meet his own as Sorey moved forward to put the necklace around Mikleo’s throat, the circular charm resting over Mikleo’s breastbone.

“Why…?”

“For good luck.” Sorey said with a small smile. He let his fingers slide a little over Mikleo’s skin, even if he immediately felt bad about it afterwards.

Mikleo’s fingers rose to touch the pendant, his gaze still on Sorey. There was a new shine in the, like fondness and something else.

“—Thank you.” Mikleo said, returning Sorey’s smile and giving a step back. He turned sideways to open the door, never really breaking eye contact with Sorey. “I’ll see you later.”

“Mm! See you!”

It wasn’t until the door was closed behind Mikleo that Sorey let go of his smile. He turned around almost blindly, letting his feet slip over the wooden floorboards of Mikleo’s room, and when he reached the bed he let himself fall forward, face buried —once again—on Mikleo’s pillow.

For the first time, Mikleo’s scent wasn’t as reassuring as it always was.

 

* * *

 

Around an hour or so later, Sorey’s phone started to ring. He hadn’t moved from his position —he had, however, emerged from his hiding place in the pillow, if only just because he needed to breathe at some point. His phone was somewhere on the bed, tangled between the covers.

Sorey thought of not replying.

But it could be important. Gramps could need him for something, or it could be Alisha with some questions about the books he had lent her. They didn’t deserve to have their call dismissed just because Sorey was feeling sorry for himself.

So he patted the bed around himself until his fingers found the cold metal of his phone, grabbing it and taking the call without even checking who was calling him first.

Closing his eyes, he turned on his side so he could balance the phone over his ear without holding it with his hand.

“Yes?”

“Can you please explain to me—“ Rose said over the phone, her tone strangely devoid of emotion. “—why is Mikleo here _on a date_ with someone who isn’t you?”

“I—what!?” Sorey exclaimed, raising himself until he was sitting on the bed, his head swimming from the sudden movement. “Mikleo’s _there!?_ Wait… where are you?”

Rose sighed, and static filled Sorey’s ear. “I’m covering for a friend in Aifreid’s. But that’s not what matters! What matters is that Mikleo is here, and he’s having a romantic dinner, and _it’s not with you—“_

“He… he is?” Sorey asked in a tiny voice, feeling his heart fall to the pit of his stomach. He curled his body even more over the covers.

“…You didn’t know?” Rose asked back after a tiny hesitation. Behind her, Sorey could hear the noises of a busy place, dishes clashing and the faint voices of people talking loudly.

“I knew he had plans tonight.” Sorey replied. “I helped him to pick his outfit.”

“Well, I’ve gotta give it to you man,” Something broke on Rose’s end, a glass maybe, and Sorey heard a faint oops in between his friend’s words. “you have a good fashion sense. He looks amazing.”

Sorey closed his eyes; immediately, his mind supplied him with images of Mikleo smiling down at him as he let himself fall back on the bed. “I know.”

Rose said nothing for a while. It was so long, in fact, that Sorey thought Rose might had left the phone somewhere and forgotten she was even on call (it wouldn’t have been the first time). But then there was some rustling, and suddenly Rose was speaking again, as if there had been no pause at all.

“You know, I did call because of the gossip, but I also meant to ask… Are you okay, Sorey?”

Sorey turned around on the bed, letting the phone rest over his other ear. “…As long as he’s happy, I’m happy.”

Rose groaned so loudly Sorey winced. “Why are you like thiiiiiiis?” She asked. Sorey could picture her draping herself over the counter dramatically.

“Like what?”

“An idiot.” Replied Rose without missing a beat.

“Hey!” Rose’s jab made Sorey sit up once again, rustling the covers some more. “Don’t call me an idiot!”

“A childish idiot, apparently.” Rose said. “I can hear the pout from here, man.”

Sorey rushed to put on a blank expression. He _had_ been pouting. “…Hey, Rose?”

“Mm?”

“…Is Mikleo having a good time, at least?”

Rose sighed. The sound coming from behind her voice was getting louder, probably from her moving around the restaurant. How could she work _and_ speak over the phone at the same time was inexplicable to Sorey. “I… wouldn’t say he’s having the time of his life, honestly—“

Sorey gripped the phone tightly in his hand. “Is he okay?”

“I mean, I guess? He just looks incredibly nervous, and not the good kind, either.”

A frown appeared in between Sorey’s eyebrows. “Is there a good kind of nervous?”

Rose sighed again. This whole situation seemed to be giving her many reasons to sigh. “I’m gonna let that pass cause you don’t do much dating. Or any at all. The point is—” She added almost shouting, more static filling Sorey’s ear. “I don’t know, Sorey, he doesn’t look very comfortable? But honestly, you’re the Mikleo expert! If you wanna know how his date’s going you should just come here and see for yourself.”

Sorey choked on his own saliva. “You want me to spy on Mikleo while he’s on a date!? Rose! I can’t do that!”

“And why not? If you don’t have the guts to ask the guy out, the least you can do as his best friend is make sure his date goes smoothly. He could be meeting up with a serial killer, for all we know…”

“I—Mikleo is too smart for that! He would never go out with someone suspicious.”

And he was right. Since leaving home, both Sorey and Mikleo had learnt just how conniving some people could be outside of Elysia, how some people would lie to get what they wanted.

Rose was a good example of this. But she was a friend so she got a pass.

“Do you really wanna risk that?” Rose asked, but by the tone of her voice, she already knew the answer.

“…No.”

Sorey could even _see_ Rose’s smirk through the receiver, big and wicked like the cat from Alice in Wonderland.

“I’ll see you in 20 minutes, lover boy.” Rose said.

And the line went dead.

 

* * *

 

22 minutes later, Sorey pushed the door of Aifreid’s open. Immediately, the smell of food and alcoholic drinks filled his senses, so much so that he lost himself for a second in the hunger he was feeling. A mabo curry bun sounded so good right now…

“Sheps!” A familiar voice shouted, making several heads turn towards Sorey. Luckily, none of those people were Mikleo, which meant he probably was further into the place — in the dinning room, a nice, quiet place, perfect to have dinner.

Sorey didn’t know how to feel about that.

But he didn't have time to think about it when a big, burly arm fell over his shoulders, shaking him roughly. And when he tried to turn, the arm grabbed him even tighter and pressed him to the side of an equally burly chest, Sorey’s face getting squashed against the dark fabric of a waiter uniform.

Zaveid, the burly excuse of a person, shook Sorey once again, his rambunctious laughter making Sorey smile.

“So, you came!” Zaveid shouted, smiling down at Sorey. “Gotta make sure no one steals away our Mikky-boy, right Sheps?”

Zaveid had been calling Sorey ‘Sheps’ since the day he had let it slip that he had used to shepherd around his grandfather’s flock when the old man couldn’t do it himself. Sorey had never minded, but now, receiving curious glances from the other patrons in the restaurant, Sorey rather felt like stuffing his shoe in Zaveid’s mouth.

“I—I’m just here to make sure Mikleo is okay.” Sorey said while shaking his head.

“Oh, really.” Zaveid deadpanned as he moved Sorey towards the back, away from the door. “Rose told me about the phone call, you know. She said you sounded as miserable as if someone had burned that book of yours to the crisp.”

“Actually—“ Rose’s voice suddenly said, smiling at Sorey from behind the bar. That was precisely where Zaveid was directing him. Sorey hadn’t realized, but Zaveid was making sure his big body was between Sorey and the entrance to the dinning room, preventing anyone inside from seeing Sorey. “—I’m enough of a good friend to know the title of Sorey’s favorite book, thank you very much.”

Zaveid batted a hand dismissively. “Knowing that Sorey’s favorite book is the Celestial Chronicles isn’t that hard, Rose dearest.”

Rose snorted. She was wiping the dark wood of the bar with a a damp cloth, but she wasn’t putting much attention onto it. “Celestial Record, you airhead.”

“…Where is Mikleo?” Sorey asked, wanting the conversation to go back on track. Zaveid patted him on the back with enough force to almost make Sorey cough his lungs out and moved away as he replied.

“He’s in the dinning room. Show him, Rose.”

With a yank from his arm, Rose dragged Sorey behind the bar. He was pretty sure he would get in trouble for this —Brad was scary when he got mad, sometimes—, but his worries were forgotten when Rose pushed him to the other end of the bar, the side closest to the dinning room door.

And there, right past the doorjamb, in a small table for two, Sorey saw the back of Mikleo’s back, the tips of his fair hair brushing slightly against the dark material of his jacket’s neck. Sorey’s heart skipped a beat at the familiar sight, relaxing a little once he realized Mikleo would have to turn around completely to see him.

But then Sorey saw Mikleo’s companion for the night. It was a man, young but still older than Sorey. His face was simply beautiful, with his sharp jaw and fine nose that ended in a small, curved tip. His eyes were the bluest of blues, and so was his hair, a navy blue that reminded Sorey of Elysia’s night sky. He wore it on a high ponytail, with thin strands falling over his face that got stuck to his lip every time he smiled.

And what a nice smile he had.

He had his hands together under his chin as he conversed with Mikleo and dedicated him his whole attention. Sorey couldn’t read the man’s expression —he didn’t know him after all—, but he seemed at ease while he talked to Mikleo, as if he was enjoying his company.

Mikleo, on the other hand—

Simply by looking at the tense line of Mikleo’s shoulders, Sorey understood what Rose had tried to tell him over the phone. He looked nervous but not uncomfortable, one of his hands playing with the hem of the mantle. But his other hand, Sorey saw, was pressed against his own chest, never moving from there. He couldn’t see what he was doing, but by the way he kept moving his elbow, he was doing it anxiously.

Sorey would have to see Mikleo’s face to know for sure, but he didn’t seem… unhappy?

“You okay, buddy?” Rose asked next to him, her eyes too on Mikleo and the mysterious blue haired man.

“Yeah.” Sorey replied, but his voice sounded sad. “He doesn’t seem like a bad guy, right?”

Rose frowned. “Dunno. We’ll have to get closer to know.”

“Huh?”

Before he could say anything else, Sorey found himself being dragged by the arm once again, this time away from the bar —and the dinning room’s entranceway— and towards a pair of swinging doors. The smell of food was stronger there, making Sorey’s mouth water.

But the moment they walked past the doors and both Rose and Sorey entered the kitchen, they ended up being face to face with a familiar face that looked at both of them with a hard frown, and a stare that made Sorey’s hunger suddenly vanish.

Eizen stood in front of them, dressed in a black waiter uniform, his longish blond hair pushed back from his face into a low ponytail, a few strands falling over his blue eyes. He had a plate in each hand, but that didn’t make him seem less imposing, not with the way his muscular body strained the cloth of his uniform. His eyes went from Rose to Sorey, turning more unamused by the second.

In the end, he sighed, dedicating Sorey a hard look.

“Just… don’t touch the food.” He said, voice low, before walking forward and exiting the kitchen.

Next to Sorey, Rose clapped her hands. “That’s our Eizen, cheerful as ever! Anyway—“ She added, right before grabbing Sorey by the shoulders and turning him around to face her. “—We need intel. You can’t go in there for obvious reasons, and I can’t go because Mikleo would clam up like an ostrich if he saw me, so! We need someone to spy for us.”

“But who?” Sorey tilted his head to the side, the tips of his feather earrings touching his shoulder. “Zaveid is a no-go too.”

Just as Rose began to smirk, Eizen came back.

“What!?” Sorey exclaimed, understanding what Rose’s smirk meant. “He’s not going to do it!”

“I’m not going to do it.” Eizen agreed, walking in between them to grab another three plates. “I have work to do, and so do you, Rose. Stop playing around.”

“But this is a life or death situation!” Rose jumped, blocking Eizen’s way out. “Mikleo is here having a date with another guy, we need to know what’s going on!”

“Don’t meddle into Mikleo’s affairs.” Eizen said, using his ‘big brother voice’. It made Sorey want to turn around and go back home, like a dog with its tail between its hind legs. “He doesn’t deserve to have you guys ruin his night.” Eizen turned towards Sorey, reproach and pity swimming in his eyes. “I thought you better than this, Sorey.”

_Ouch_ . Sorey was surprised to find how much that hurt. He looked away, unable to meet Eizen’s eyes, much less so when he was thinking the same thing. Mikleo didn’t deserve to be spied on. He was an adult, he could make his own choices.

Sorey had made a big mistake coming here tonight.

“Come on, he’s just worried!” Rose punched Eizen’s arm, but it didn’t even manage to rock Eizen in the slightest. “Help the man out. We just wanna know if Mikleo is okay, and if he is we’ll leave him alone, I promise.”

Eizen sighed. The food on his plates was growing cold, and Sorey knew that worried Eizen. But still, Eizen seemed to be considering Rose words.

And maybe there was something pitiful on Sorey’s face, or maybe it was the spark in Rose’s eyes that said she wouldn’t be leaving this alone any time soon. But, whatever it was, it made Eizen groan and shake his head.

“Fine, fine.” He said. “I’ll do it. But for the love of God, Rose, go back to work.”

After that, Eizen left once again, not without muttering under his breath how he was too old for this.

“Great!” Rose exclaimed, taking Sorey by the arm again. “Come on, Sorey!”

Sorey was starting to get tired of being dragged around like a doll. As time went by, he was more and more sure that he should have just stayed at home, maybe fall asleep on Mikleo’s bed, because he was a romantic like that. This whole situation was a mistake.

And if Mikleo discovered him there…

They ended up behind the bar once again, looking at the back of Mikleo’s head. Mikleo seemed more relaxed now, his shoulders sagged and his hands still on his lap, but that didn’t stop Sorey from worrying his lip between his teeth.

“Look, Eizen is gonna talk to him now.”

“What!?”

They both turned towards the dinning room, arms crossed over the bar, bodies leaning forward. Eizen _was_ at Mikleo’s table, yes, but he wasn’t exactly talking to him. Eizen had his notepad out and a pen in his hand, not looking specially interested in either of the people at the table. Mikleo didn’t seem too surprised by Eizen’s arrival, even if his shoulders had gone tense again.

But now that Mikleo had turned his head towards Eizen —towards his right and a little upwards —, Sorey could see his friend’s face. His usually pale face was coated by a thin layer of blush, making his only visible eye very bright and beautiful. His hair had been mussed so many times that it was slightly messy around the tips.

But he was smiling up at both Eizen and his companion, telling Eizen something Sorey couldn’t hear from where he stood.

Still, his heart gave a painful squeeze.

Mikleo was fine. Nervous, but not unhappy. He should be happy for that fact.

Why couldn’t he feel happy then?

“Duck, Eizen’s coming!” Rose whispered, yanking Sorey down by the elbow. Sorey didn’t know why that was necessary —Eizen _knew_ they were there, after all, but he didn’t question Rose out loud.

She seemed to be having a pretty good time, at least.

When Eizen arrived at the bar, Rose let Sorey finally get back to his feet, even if she made him move to the other end of the bar first. Eizen was dedicating them an even more exasperated look than before, rolling his eyes when Rose jumped on sight with a small on her face.

“Okay, listen.” Eizen started, pinning them both down with a single stare. “Mikleo is fine. He’s having dinner with that man and he’s not having a bad time; he refers to the man as ‘Uno-san’, both of them have asked for dessert and this Uno guy just asked me for a bottle of champagne.” After that he turned his eyes towards Sorey, a somewhat sweeter look on them this time. “I’m sorry, Sorey, but you have to let him enjoy this. The guy doesn’t seem bad at all at least. They were discussing something related to ruins just know.”

Rose’s jaw dropped open. “He’s on a date with a _ruin freak?_ I thought they didn’t make more of those, aside from Mikleo and Sorey!”

“Looks like it.” Eizen accompanied his words with a shrug. “The guy was praising Mikleo when I arrived at their table. He said he was surprised someone so young would have such revolutionary views on some depictions from the Era of Asgard.”

“…Dude, your memory is scary.” Rose said.

Eizen shrugged again. His eyes were still on Sorey, who wanted nothing more than go back to his apartment. “You should go home, Sorey.” Eizen told him, as if he had read his thoughts.

Sorey nodded, not meeting Eizen’s eyes anymore. “Yeah.”

“What, no!” Rose exclaimed. “Sorey—“

“It’s okay, Rose.” Sorey said with a sad smile. “I just want Mikleo to be happy, really. He was excited before coming here, and he’s having a good time now. So I don’t really have to worry anymore.”

For the first time all night, Rose lost her smile, being replaced by a sad pull on the corners of her mouth. “But, you…”

“I just need to go home.” Sorey turned towards Eizen once again, nodding towards him. “Thank you for everything, Eizen.”

Eizen simply nodded back, looking at Sorey for a moment longer, and then disappearing in the kitchen.

“Come on, Sorey.” Rose started, turning towards him. “We still can—“

But Sorey was already shaking his head. “Eizen is right. I shouldn’t have even come in the first place.”

His heart was beating painfully inside his chest, torn apart by the conflicting emotions. He wanted Mikleo to be happy; he wanted to be the one he was having dinner with. He wanted to be Mikleo’s best friend; he wanted something _more._

Sorey walked around the bar until he was standing in front of Rose, the dark wood of the bar in between them. By the look on Rose’s face, she didn’t believe for a second Sorey’s smile was genuine.

“Seriously, Rose, I’m fine.” Sorey’s eyes moved towards the dinning room, more specifically towards a familiar fair head. “Put Mikleo’s dessert on my tab, okay? I’ll pay you tomorrow.”

“Sorey…”

With a idle wave of his hand, Sorey started to walk away. “Bye, Rose.”

It all happened too fast. It started with Rose’s hand shooting forward and grabbing Sorey by the back of his shirt, making him stumble. His stumbling made his feet get tangled in the legs of the nearest stool, tripling it over, making it fall to the floor with a loud clash and Sorey with it, landing on the fallen stool. But that first stool managed to knock over a second one, and that second one a third one, and then all the stools at the bar where falling over like domino pieces, the sound making the white noise of the chattering in the restaurant be interrupted and all heads turn towards Sorey, whose hip throbbed so bad he had serious doubts about being able to get up.

The fact that his leg was stuck between the legs of a stool didn't help either.

“Oh my God, Sorey!” Rose shouted just as Sorey winced in pain, leaning over the bar’s top. “Are you okay!?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Sorey kicked the stool away, slowly getting to his feet. “I’m sorry, Rose, I—“

But Sorey’s words died in his throat. Because among the eyes that were still looking at him as if he were a circus attraction were a familiar pair of violet ones, wide open with surprise and confusion. Mikleo had gotten up from his seat and was facing Sorey from the other side of the place; his mouth had fallen slightly open, his lips forming Sorey’s name soundlessly.

Sorey felt his heart stop beating entirely.

“I’m—“ Sorey tried to look away from Mikleo but couldn’t, pined down by that beautiful color. “I’m sorry, Rose, I have to go.”

“Sorey!” Rose shouted, extending her arm to stop him. “Sorey, hold on!”

Still, Sorey moved towards the exist, feeling his hip throb with every step and pain shoot down his leg every time he lifted it from the ground. Another voice had joined Rose’s in calling his name, but by the time Sorey registered it he was already out of the restaurant, tasting the cold night air in his tongue.

He didn’t stop. He felt mortified, hurt, and those emotions had nothing to do with having fallen on a stool. Mikleo had seen him. He had seen him at the restaurant. God, what would Mikleo be thinking right now? That Sorey had been spying on him? That he hadn’t respected Mikleo’s wishes to keep tonight a secret? Both things were true. Surely, Mikleo was fuming by now, his date ruined by Sorey.

Or maybe not. Maybe Sorey’s act in the restaurant hadn’t been important enough. Maybe Sorey wasn’t important enough to ruin this, even if Mikleo surely would be angry at him.

Sorey hoped that was the case. He would fall over a pile of stools any day before ruining Mikleo’s night.

“Sorey!” A familiar voice shouted behind him, making Sorey almost stumble. But he didn’t dare stop. With pain still numbing his leg, Sorey sped up, trying to leave Mikleo behind. “Sorey, you big idiot, stop running away!”

Sorey stopped. He couldn’t not do it, couldn’t not react to Mikleo’s voice. He stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, letting Mikleo catch up to him as Sorey changed the weight from one leg to the other.

“Sorey, what the hell?” Mikleo said as he reached him, panting slightly. Sorey looked at him from the corner of his eye, taking in Mikleo’s flushed face, his angry eyes. His expression was like a dagger through Sorey’s heart. He hated disappointing Mikleo. “What are you doing here?”

Sorey flinched. “I’m—“

“But more importantly—“ Mikleo continued, talking over Sorey. “Are you okay? You’re limping—”

“I’m fine.” Mikleo moved to stand in front of him as Sorey spoke, looking down and to the side. “I just fell on one of the stools, so it hurts to walk right now.”

“I saw that.” A frown appeared on Mikleo’s face; a frown that Sorey wanted to smooth with his thumb. “What are you doing here, Sorey? How did you know where to find me?”

“…Rose called me.” Sorey finally met Mikleo’s face. He was so close, and Sorey wanted to hold him so bad… he didn’t know if Mikleo would be happy with it though. “She said you were having a date with this guy and that you looked very nervous but that I should see for myself because she didn’t know if it was good nervous or bad nervous, so I—“

“She what!?” Mikleo’s eyes grew like saucers, his mouth falling open due to surprise for the second time that night. “She told you I was on a date!?”

“Yes! But please don’t get mad at her! She only wanted to make sure you were okay.” Sorey lifted a hand to scratch at the back of his neck, messing with the short strands of his own hair. His eyes were sad, devoid of their usual brightness. “Mikleo, I’m so so—“

“I just—“ Mikleo started, shaking his head. “I can’t believe you came here, when I told you I wanted to keep this a secret!” Now it was Mikleo’s turn to look sad, his expression making Sorey’s heart clench painfully. “Why did you do it, Sorey?”

He thought about not replying. He didn’t think about lying, because he had never lied to Mikleo and he wasn’t going to start now. And he didn’t deserve it, either. Mikleo didn’t deserve to be lied to.

So he braced himself for the worst and squared his shoulders, looking at Mikleo straight into his eyes. Mikleo went tense too, if only due to the intensity in Sorey’s eyes.

And Sorey told him the truth.

“I was jealous.”

“…Jealous?” Mikleo said with a slow blink, not comprehending. “Of…me having a date?”

“Of you having a date with _someone else_.” Sorey nodded. “Yeah.”

“—Oh. _Oh.”_

Mikleo said nothing after that, but a deep blush covered his cheeks, and he lowered his head so his hair would cover his eyes. Sorey’s heart was hammering against his ribcage, making it hard to breathe, to think. He could only watch as Mikleo blushed furiously and played with his hands nervously, letting his fingers drum against his thighs.

He was an expert on Mikleo, so he knew what those little gestures meant.

Sorey felt his shoulders sag, his head tilting a little bit forward.

“You don’t have to say anything back.” He told Mikleo, wanting once again to touch him but not daring to. “But I wanted you to know.”

“O—okay…”

Mikleo’s voice died down, and with it the last of Sorey’s hope. He finally looked away, at some point over Mikleo’s shoulder, not knowing what to do with his hands anymore.

“So, that’s it. I guess I’ll see— _!!”_

His words crashed against Mikleo’s soft lips, the sound of his voice becoming a surprised sound. Mikleo’s kiss was fleeting and quick, it’s only purpose to shut Sorey up. And it did an amazing job, because suddenly Sorey could do nothing but gape at Mikleo, still feeling his lips tingle from Mikleo’s touch.

Before him, Mikleo’s blush had gone deeper. He was looking at the side, not meeting Sorey’s eyes until the silence between them stretched enough to make him nervous. Then, he looked at Sorey from the corner of his eye, a mix of amusement and nervousness swimming in them.

Sorey stopped breathing for a second.

“…You said I didn’t have to say anything.” Mikleo said with a tiny smile.

When Sorey moved, Mikleo copied him, both of them rushing forward to kiss the other, their lips colliding —literally. Mikleo hissed as Sorey’s tooth grazed his lip, and Sorey flinched when they hit their noses together… But then Mikleo sighed happily and tilted his head to the side enough to kiss him deeper, and Sorey’s arms found their way around Mikleo’s waist, bringing him closer, their lips finding a home in the spaces the other left for them. Sorey smiled into the kiss as Mikleo’s tongue shyly traced Sorey’s bottom lip, not really understanding _how_ this had happened but not caring either.

Mikleo was kissing him, Sorey was holding him in his arms, and there was nothing else he cared about in the world.

That is, until Mikleo moved back, breaking their kiss.

Though he didn’t step away from the circle of Sorey’s arms. He didn’t let go of the lapels of Sorey’s jacket either, gripping them so tight his knuckles turned white.

“You’re such an idiot.” Mikleo said, shaking his head. They were so close that his nose brushed against Sorey’s cheek.

Sorey didn’t bother replying. He could still taste Mikleo on his tongue — he tasted like a vanilla dessert.

He lowered his head to kiss Mikleo again.

“It wasn’t a date.” Mikleo muttered then, halting Sorey at mere inches from his lips.

“..Huh?”

Sorey’s lips brushed lightly against Mikleo’s as he exhaled.

“My dinner with Uno-san.” Mikleo explained. He breathed on Sorey’s mouth, his hands gripping the lapels even tighter. “It wasn’t a date. It was a business dinner.”

At that, Sorey leaned back, his nose hitting the tip of Mikleo’s nose softly. “What? Business?”

“Uno-san is an agent, Sorey.” Mikleo said, and as the words poured from his mouth his smile grew, his cheeks flushing once again from excitement. “We’re getting our book published.”

“…What!?” Sorey knew he probably had much better things to say, but that was the only thing he could say. _Our book? Published!? WHAT!?_

Mikleo hit his shoulder with the back of his hand, claiming Sorey’s attention once again. “I wanted to keep it a secret to surprise you. And because I didn’t want to make you sad if it didn’t work out. Uno-san told me during the dinner that it was done, that they were going to publish it, and that we were celebrating it.” Mikleo’s smile turned into a frown and he hit Sorey once again, a little more forcefully than before. “But you had to come and ruin everything. Seriously, Sorey…”

Sorey’s arms tightened their hold around Mikleo, his hands finding the ticklish spots on Mikleo’s sides effortlessly, making Mikleo squirm. “I’m really sorry! But, we’re getting our book published, Mikleo! This is so cool!”

“It is.” replied Mikleo with a smile.

“And…” Sorey continued with a sheepish smile. “You kissed me. That’s pretty cool too.”

“…I had to tell you you didn’t have anything to be jealous of, somehow.” Mikleo muttered, looking away. “Idiot.”

Sorey kissed Mikleo again for that insult, this time remembering to tilt his head to the side. Mikleo made an adorable noise against his mouth, turning Sorey’s legs into jelly as his hands went up to hide in his hair and Mikleo’s nails scratched his scalp.

“I should go back inside.” Mikleo said after a while, looking over his shoulder fleetingly.

Sorey smiled reassuringly. “Of course! I’ll be waiting for you back home. You’ll have to tell me everything later!”

“Or you could come in with me.” Mikleo pointed towards the restaurant with his chin. “Uno-san is dying to meet you. And you are the co-author of the book, after all.”

“Really?” Sorey exclaimed, shining with excitement. “Can I!?”

“Come on. Maybe this way Rose and the others will stop spying on us from the windows.”

“You think they’re doing that now?”

Mikleo smirked. “I wouldn’t put it past them.”

They started their way back to the restaurant, the backs of their hands bumping against the other’s, Sorey limping slightly. When Sorey looked towards his side, he found Mikleo deep in thought, his other hand fiddling with something in his chest. After a moment, Sorey realized it was his necklace with the Shepherd symbol, which still hung from Mikleo’s neck where Sorey had left it earlier.

With his heart beating happily in his chest, Sorey took Mikleo’s hand and intertwined their fingers, pulling Mikleo towards him.

“Everything okay?” He asked.

“Yeah.” Mikleo replied. He moved his hand so he could show Sorey the necklace, smiling up at him softly. “This ended up bringing me very good luck today. Thank you, Sorey.”

Sorey swung down to press a kiss on Mikleo’s cheek. “I should be the one thanking you. This has been a pretty good night.”

Mikleo smirked again. “Even if you did end up getting up close and personal with a stool.”

Sorey sneaked his fingers past Mikleo’s arm and jabbed them against Mikleo’s ribs, making him laugh. “Shut up!”

It took them a while to get back inside the restaurant, but if someone saw how flushed and out of breath they looked, no one mentioned it.

That didn’t mean they didn’t get dirty looks from Rose, though.

But Sorey didn’t care. With Mikleo’s hand in his, he just couldn’t make himself care.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are appreciated! Please, let me know if you enjoyed it!


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